Social and Cultural Determinants of Physical Fitness in Métis People Living in Saskatchewan

Métis People, one of the recognized Indigenous groups in Canada, continue to rebuild their community and support networks after generations of colonial disruption. The historical and contemporary experiences have resulted in health determinants and outcomes that differ from other Indigenous nations. This study examined relationships between cultural connections and social support with physical fitness in Métis People living in Saskatchewan and whether sex moderated these relationships. Métis adults living in Saskatchewan (n = 70, Age = 39 ± 16 years, females = 46) completed social support and cultural connectedness questionnaires and participated in physical fitness testing including cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular strength and power, flexibility, and balance. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that social support significantly predicted several components of physical fitness after adjusting for age, sex and cultural connectedness, although the variance explained was modest: grip strength (p=0.01, ΔR²=0.02), leg power (p=0.01, ΔR²=0.06) and one leg balance (p=0.04, ΔR²=0.04). Age and sex were the strongest predictors of physical fitness across all the models and cultural connectedness was not a significant predictor. Sit and reach flexibility was the only component where the relationship with cultural connectedness and social support showed moderation by sex. Overall, the findings suggest that biological factors of age and sex have a greater influence on Métis People’s physical fitness than social and cultural factors, however social support remains an important determinant. This highlighted the importance of physical fitness strategies for Métis People that incorporate age, sex and social support.